Macaques extend their social networks when disaster strikes

by MikeB · April 9, 2021

A study discovered that bickering macaques made the effort to extend their social network by making more relationships to aid survival under the dire circumstances of an ecological disaster as occurred when a hurricane devastated the primates’ Caribbean island home. The vegetation was striped from the trees.

Macaque monkeys. Photo: Pixabay.

Macaques live in strict hierarchies. The females are born into a certain status which they retain for their lives. The researchers thought that a disaster would encourage the macaques to retreat into their social systems and cement associates rather then extend their networks as happened.

The findings were published in the journal Current Biology. Apparently, the monkey suddenly behaved in a more pleasant way which was noticeable as they are normally nepotistic and despotic, in the language of Professor Lauren Brent of the University of Essex.

Comment: What prompted the change in behaviour? Well it has to have been forced on them in their desire to improve survival. Cooperation always helps survival. The opposite harms it which is why the planet is in such a dire state. Countries so often pull in different directions in their desire to do what they think is best for themselves. Look at global warming. We’ve been discussing it for years without any genuine success. A lack of internal coordination due largely to different levels of development of the world’s countries.

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